World Prematurity Day - Give Them a Fighting Chance

World prematurity day is observed on the 17th November across the world to raise awareness about the difficulties faced by these babies and their families in taking care of them

Complications due to prematurity are one of the main causes of death in children below five years; a majority of these deaths can be prevented by proper care and treatment

Prematurity or preterm birth refers to a baby being born before the mother completes 37 weeks of pregnancy

The first ever international awareness day for preterm birth was established in 2008 by parent organizations in Europe. World Prematurity Day began to be observed as a dedicated event on the 17th November since 2011 and has now grown into a global annual feature.

World Prematurity Day - Give Them a Fighting Chance

Diverse groups including parents and families, health professionals, hospitals, politicians, and organizations observe this day with media campaigns, themed events, fundraising and other activities to bring about awareness about this little-known condition among the general population. In 2013, WPD was observed in more than 60 countries.

Raising Awareness about Preterm Births

Use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to post and share pictures and messages about preterm births and its challenges using the hashtag #givethemtomorrow and #worldprematurityday

Change your profile picture to the World Prematurity Day theme to raise awareness about this event among friends and get them involved in spreading the message

The purple ribbon is the symbol of World Prematurity Day and the color can be used in several ways to spread awareness - wearing a purple dress, lighting up your home or office in purple, create purple themed gifts such as mugs, tee shirts, pins, and several more and sell them on social media and donate the proceeds to fund World Prematurity Day campaigns

Making personal or corporate donations to the cause of World Prematurity Day

Organize fundraising events in the community such as walks, or sporting events and create awareness about preterm births

Display messages about preterm births and associated hardships in prominent locations such as malls and parks

Organize radio and television shows with experts discussing preterm births and its challenges

Hospitals and clinics should offer free advice to women about the risk of preterm births and prevention. Pregnant women especially must be counseled on measures to reduce risk or prevent preterm births

Governments should enable healthcare facilities to all irrespective of socioeconomic status or location. Every baby should be provided a fighting chance

Preterm Births - Key Facts

Baby is born before mother completes 37 weeks pregnancy

Extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks)

Very preterm (28 to 32 weeks)

Moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks)

Rate of preterm births is between 5 to 18% across 184 countries and the gap in survival is wide in low income and high-income countries

In low-income regions, nearly half the babies born before 32 weeks die due to a lack of basic care such as warmth, lack of breastfeeding, timely treatment of infections and respiratory difficulties

In middle-income countries, inadequate use of resources results in the survival of babies with varying degrees of disability affecting brain, lungs, vision and hearing.

Survival of preterm births in high-income countries is excellent

Cesarean section delivery or induction of labor should not be planned before 39 weeks of gestation except for medical reasons

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